The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet

The Secrets of Droon is a fantasy series of chapter books for young readers. It begins with The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet, in which protagonist Eric Hinkle and his friends, Neal and Julie, first discover the hidden stairs in his parents’ basement and travel to the magical realm of Droon. They learn that in Droon, wizards and magical creatures exist and time passes differently. When Eric and his friends return from a long adventure in Droon, only a few minutes have passed in their own world, which the books refer to as the “Upper World.” This novel also establishes important rules of world-building, such as the fact that Droon must be kept a secret and that nothing from one realm must be left behind in the other realm. These rules will constrain Eric and his friends throughout the series.

In Droon, two factions are battling for supremacy. The wizard Galen Longbeard, King Zello, and Zello’s daughter Princess Keeah represent the forces of good, while Lord Sparr leads the forces of evil. Lord Sparr is aided by his minions (the strange red creatures called Ninns and their flying lizard mounts, called groggles). He attacks the cities and castles controlled by King Zello, while Longbeard, Zello, and Keeah use their magical powers to defend their territory. Lord Sparr’s ultimate goal is to retrieve the Red Eye of Dawn, a small, glowing red orb that he created to increase his own magical powers. The Red Eye of Dawn is just the first of the “Three Powers” that he is seeking to consolidate his rule over the world. In later books, he will search for the other two: the Golden Wasp and the Coiled Viper.

Because the first story begins in medias res, no real explanation is given for this ongoing battle. Eric and his friends are simply plunged into the middle of it and must fend off Sparr’s attacks without understanding his broader purpose. The series consists of over 40 books that continue to develop Droon’s history and reveal how Eric’s own history is entangled with the magical kingdom. Subsequent installments also explore Lord Sparr’s backstory, and over time, he eventually becomes an unlikely ally for the “Upper World” children. New antagonists and allies are introduced throughout the series, and several characters working for the forces of good are revealed to have evil counterparts. Eventually, in the series’ last book, The Final Quest, Eric and his friends defeat the evil forces that are trying to conquer Droon.